The Court of Appeal has rejected the latest challenges to Government plans to go ahead with the HS2 national high-speed rail project, which is to link London with the West Midlands, the North West and Yorkshire.

Fifteen councils and many other objectors, including residents' associations along the route, had asked the appeal judges to order further assessment of the scheme as a whole.

The judges dismissed all grounds of challenge but gave the go-ahead for a final appeal to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.

High Speed Rail minister Simon Burns said: "By dismissing all seven grounds of appeal and declining to refer the case to Europe, this is the second time in four months a court has rejected attempts to derail HS2.

"Parliament is the right place to debate the merits of HS2, not the law courts, and we will introduce the hybrid bill for Phase One before the year is out.

"I urge opponents not to waste any more taxpayers' money on expensive litigation and instead work with us on making HS2 the very best it can be.

"We continue to move forward with the crucial business of getting the scheme ready for construction in 2017 and delivering enormous benefits for the country."